


I Choose You

by cubedcoffeecake



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Gen, Happy Ending, M/M, Voe Deserves Nice Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23169547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cubedcoffeecake/pseuds/cubedcoffeecake
Summary: He wasn't just a set of expectations. Hewasa person. A person who hated mint, and loved holomysteries, and couldn't skip rocks, and enjoyed kissing in the rain.A person who loved Tai.
Relationships: Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Tai
Kudos: 9





	I Choose You

"Kill me if you have to, Ben. Or… don't."

Ben deactivated his saber.

"Be the man I know you are. Just _be_."

It was finally sinking in, for the first time since the Temple, that Tai was not holding him to anything. He wasn't assuming Ben to be a murderer, or fated to the Dark Side. Disbelieving shock warred with a desperate hope, playing clear across his face.

Tai had known him when he was happy. Funny. Strong. Confident. Comfortable. At peace. Tai knew most of his fears, his dreams, and his desires. And now, Tai had seen Ben give in to the crushing pressure of his destiny, and he still believed that Ben had a choice?

"Be who you— _are_."

Maybe…. Maybe he could.

He wasn't just a set of expectations. He _was_ a person. A person who hated mint, and loved holomysteries, and couldn't skip rocks, and enjoyed kissing in the rain.

A person who loved Tai.

Ben reached down and took Tai's outstretched hand. Tai started laughing. It was disbelieving but so, so happy. Ben thought Tai deserved to always be this happy.

" _What_ are you two _doing_?"

Spinning around at the waist—Tai tightened his grip on Ben's hand when it loosened as Ben turned. He felt his heart flutter and squeezed back—Ben saw Voe standing on the bridge behind him and felt a blush rise to his cheeks.

"I just dueled down seven Knights of Ren _alone_ while you two _held hands_?"

"No!" he defended. "We were…" Well, admitting they had been dueling wouldn't sound very good either. Thankfully, Voe just sighed in annoyance and moved on.

"Well, if you're not trying to murder us now Ben, we need to get back to our ship and set course for Hosnian Prime. The destruction of the Temple has probably been discovered by now and we'll need to let everyone know what happened." Her teeth ground together with the effort, but she didn't bring up Luke.

"You go back alone, Voe."

Both Ben and Voe turned to stare at Tai in shock as he rose to his feet, hand still in Ben's.

"He needs to find a new path, and I'm going to go with him."

While Ben was staring at him in awe and feeling as if his heart would burst in his chest, Voe was staring at Tai in shock and betrayal.

"He needs to face justice!" Tai winced and fixed his gaze on the ground.

"Jedi are forbidden attachments because it impairs our ability to carry out justice.

"You're right. Ben should be brought before a trial. But… I won't do it." He looked up, his face softening. "I'm sorry, Voe. I choose Ben."

She shook her head in disbelief before her expression hardened and she raised her saber.

"I can't let you leave," she warned.

Ben finally looked away from Tai to raise an eyebrow at Voe.

"Are you actually saying you want to duel me? And Tai? At the same time? Come on, Voe. You did everything you could; no one would expect that of you."

He turned and started walking away from her, tugging Tai along with him. With a final look to his friend, Tai turned and jogged to catch up with Ben.

Voe watched them walk away and let them. She felt as if she was failing in everything Master Skywalker had ever taught her.

(She didn't realize she was twice the Jedi Ben could've ever been. Later that day, however, as Voe shared everything that had happened with the council on Hosnian Prime—Leia did.)

"I don't know what path to choose," Ben said softly as they approached the Knights' ship.

"That's all right." Tai smiled up at him. "The Force will guide us. We just need to take the first step."

The ramp of the _Night Buzzard_ lowered and Ben and Tai entered it hand in hand; one foot in front of the other.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know, this is really similar to Who You Are. Since they're both by me, plagiarism doesn't count. *fingerguns* I'm just really emotional about this scene, okay?!
> 
> Yeah, so, while I work on creating a (very sad) backstory for Tai in my (quickly lengthening) soulmates au project, I wanted to explore the theme of them choosing each other even though it goes against the "destinies" set for each of them—Tai's being a Jedi, Ben becoming Master of the Knights of Ren and everything after that.
> 
> Also, THIS IS NOT A DRILL: This was the first time Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Tai popped up in the drop down menu for "Relationships" when I was posting this! We did it guys!!!! We're official!!
> 
> And finally, an obligatory mention that my writing commissions are open rn! You can get more info on my Twitter (cubedcoffeecake) or go straight to my Ko-Fi (cubedcoffeecake). The short of it is if you'd like to donate me a coffee or two and comment an AU and pairing (Kylux, Benarmie, renben, bentai, gen), I'll write you 500-3500 words for it. (:
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3


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